Men's Tennis to Travel to Juniata for Landmark Semifinals
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College men’s tennis team has earned the fourth seed in the 2014 Landmark Conference Tournament and is set to travel to Huntingdon on Wednesday, April 23 for a semifinal match versus top seed Juniata College at 3:00 p.m.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College men's tennis team has earned the fourth seed in the 2014 Landmark Conference Tournament and is set to travel to Huntingdon on Wednesday, April 23 for a semifinal match versus top seed Juniata College at 3:00 p.m.
The Greyhounds are returning to the postseason after missing the tournament last year on a tiebreaker. The Hounds are 8-9 on the season and were 4-3 in the Landmark regular season. When Moravian and Juniata met in Huntingdon back on April 2, the Eagles won a narrow 5-4 victory with the Hounds taking the fifth singles match to three sets.
"Our players and coaches are excited to be back in the playoffs after a year absence," stated third-year Head Coach Art Smith, a 1968 Moravian graduate and member of the school's Hall of Fame. "The team set the Landmark Conference playoffs as a goal at our first team meeting and we are ready to compete. Even though our team is very young, they believe in themselves and work very hard. We are looking forward to the challenge and hopefully we will play at a high level."
Leading the youthful squad are co-captains junior Lewis Cooper and sophomore Matt Tuorto. Cooper, who misses the fall season each year as a starter on the Greyhounds' men's soccer squad, has posted a 10-5 mark at third singles this spring. Tuorto, who was named this week's Landmark Conference Player of the Week on Monday, has a 10-12 overall mark in singles action, and he has seen action at first, second and third singles with his most recent 12 matches coming in the top spot.
Sophomore John Wylie is playing second singles for the Hounds with a 9-10 mark while freshman Mike Antonis has the top singles record with a 15-6 slate including a 9-2 mark at fourth singles. Freshman Giovanni Lombardi is 9-12 in singles action now competing at fifth singles while freshman Dan Schmucker is 10-11 on the year with an 8-7 mark at sixth singles.
Tuorto and Wylie have combined for an 11-7 record at first doubles for Moravian while Antonis and Cooper has an 11-4 mark as the second doubles squad. Lombardi and sophomore C.J. Widdifield have a 6-9 slate at third doubles.
The winner of Wednesday's semifinal match will advance to the 2014 Landmark Conference Championship contest on Saturday at the highest remaining seed with the conference champion earning an automatic berth to the 2014 NCAA Division III Tournament in May.
